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Identity art and political statements by AAPI Youth.

  1. New York - Angela Yan
  2. Metropolitan Existence - Angela Yan
  3. Layered Cityscape - Angela Yan

    The layered drawings of urban scenes represent rapid urban sprawl. As more people move to cities, developers expand cities to build more houses and high rises, clearing natural lands for development. The contrast between the white and black scenes shows cities’ continual outward expansion. I used cool tones in the background to show that cities are covering up and displacing natural land, so much so that nature could disappear entirely.

  4. Urban Convergence - Angela Yan

    Every building is placed in the foreground to emphasize the omnipresence of any major city. With more people moving to urban areas today, cities are ever-growing and ever-encroaching on natural landscapes. I designed the composition to be chaotic to show cities’ disruptive impact on the environment. In particular, the smoggy gray ink represents industrial pollutants harming public health in metropolises.

  5. Chink - Salman Lee

    Chink, Nip, Pancake Face, Zipper Head, Yellow Devil, Ching Chong, Curry Muncher, and Gook; All disassociative terms historically used to alienate the Asian population. “Chink” is the most prominent Asian slur used today, holding up since the 1860’s. Having an ambiguous origin, it can be linked to the Transcontinental Railroad and or the literal definition of Chink. Chink: a narrow opening or crack, is often used to describe the eyes of Asians. Aside from describing physical features, chink is said to be the sound made as Chinese workers built the railroad.

  6. Pancake Face - Salman Lee

    Chink, Nip, Pancake Face, Zipper Head, Yellow Devil, Ching Chong, Curry Muncher, and Gook; All disassociative terms historically used to alienate the Asian population. The piece “Pancake Face” focuses on a term often used to describe the faces of Asians as flat. Although the phrase is often unknown, the word is significant in which it alludes to the historical mocking of Asiatic features. Within the image I incorporated a pancake with the intention to cover the face. The element of syrup was then used to emote sadness and a sense of heaviness.

  7. Yellow Devil - Salman Lee

    Chink, Nip, Pancake Face, Zipper Head, Yellow Devil, Ching Chong, Curry Muncher, and Gook; All disassociative terms historically used to alienate the Asian population. Yellow Devil was a term that alienated the Chinese as they immigrated during the gold rush. The slur stems from the fear of “stealing’ of jobs as well as the exoticizing of Asiatic features. A popular caricature of Chinese people during the 1900’s was Fu Manchu which influenced much of my design. From there the design experimented with the contrasting visualization of a devil from both American and Chinese culture.

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